2017 Volume 36, Issue 2 8
Contents
Editorial
Learning & teaching
Research
Share this
Resource reviews
Washington Post, 6 December 2016, accessed
30 April 2017.
Gladstone, B. & Garfield, B. 2016, ‘Breaking news
consumer’s handbook: Fake news edition’, WNYC,
accessed 30 April 2017.
Harris, G. & Eddy, M. 2016, ‘Obama, with Angela Merkel
in Berlin, assails spread of fake news’, The New York
Times, 17 November 2016, accessed 30 April 2017.
‘How to spot fake news’, IFLA, accessed 30 April 2017.
‘Invisible sieve’ 2011, The Economist, 30 June 2011,
accessed 30 April 2017.
Jamieson, A., & Solon, O. 2016, ‘Facebook to begin
flagging fake news in response to mounting criticism’,
The Guardian, 15 December 2016, accessed
30 April 2017.
Kirschenbaum, M. 2017, ‘Identifying fake news: An
infographic and educator resources’, EasyBib,
01 February 2017, accessed 30 April 2017.
Moseley, A. 2016, ‘Fake news’, BtN, ABC, 29 November
2016, accessed 30 April 2017.
November, A. 2016, ‘Mission critical: How educators
can help save democracy’, November Learning,
22 December 2016, accessed 30 April 2017.
Pariser, E. 2011, ‘Beware online filter bubbles’, Ted talks,
accessed 30 April 2017.
Snopes, accessed 30 April 2017.
‘Students need our help detecting fake news’,
MiddleWeb, 20 November 2016, accessed
30 April 2017.
Sydell, L. 2016, ‘We tracked down a fake-news creator
in the suburbs. Here’s what we learned’, NPR,
23 November 2016, accessed 30 April 2017.
As educators, there’s a moral imperative for us to
understand the workings of the internet and the ways
it can shape young people’s lives, both positively and
negatively. Newington College shared this on Twitter
recently and I liked it.
Perhaps Twitter are using their algorithms right now
to direct more of the same to me. That’s the kind of
personalisation of a news feed I’d appreciate.
References and further reading
‘5 ways to spot fake news!’, Common Sense Media,
accessed 30 April 2017.
ACARA, ‘General capabilities’, Australian Curriculum
(AC), accessed 30 April 2017.
‘Alternative 3’, Wikipedia, accessed 30 April 2017.
Baker, F.W. ‘Fake news: Recommendations’, Media
Literacy Clearinghouse, accessed 30 April 2017.
Colón, A. 2017, ‘You are the new gatekeeper of the
news’, The Conversation, accessed 30 April 2017.
‘Digital citizenship’, Common Sense Education,
accessed 30 April 2017.
Domonoske, C. 2016, ‘Students have “dismaying”
inability to tell fake news from real, study finds’, NPR,
23 November 2016, accessed 30 April 2017.
Filucci, S. 2017, ‘How to spot fake news (and teach kids
to be media savvy)’, Common Sense Media, 20 March
2017, accessed 30 April 2017.
Fisher, M., Cox, J.W. & Hermann, P. 2016, ‘Pizzagate:
From rumor, to hashtag, to gunfire in D.C.’, The
Useful links
1. Frank W. Baker’s Fake news: Recommendations
2. Alan November’s Mission critical: How educators
can help save democracy
3. Aly Colón’s You are the new gatekeeper of
the news
4. Laura Sydell’s We tracked down a fake-news
creator in the suburbs. Here’s what we learned
5. Amber Jamieson’s and Olivia Solon’s Facebook
to begin flagging fake news in response to
mounting criticism
6. MiddleWeb’s Students need our help detecting
fake news
No article about helping our students become
discerning digital citizens can end without mentioning
the original internet identifiers of fake news - the
stellar team at Snopes. Google search describes
Snopes as the ‘definitive internet reference source
for urban legends, folklore, myths, rumors, and
misinformation’. I’d have to agree. Many times I’ve
referred to Snopes before on sharing information
because in the back of my mind a tiny voice was
saying, ‘Is this really true?’ Subscribe to their
newsletter and a daily debunker will arrive in your
inbox, clarifying for you what you should believe on
the internet, and what you shouldn’t.
For those hoping that things might slow down and we
can all take a bit of a breather from the pace of the
digital world, well, I’m sorry to say, it’s just not going
to happen. Yes, it’s moving fast and keeping pace
with change is difficult. The fact is, this is the world
we inhabit now.